I am writing this on Thanksgiving morning, before my family is even awake I’m up and doing gardens and getting my sense of peace I get from that. I’m drinking coffee and thinking of what I’m thankful for. One thing I’m thankful for is that this game was around when I needed it most. My daughter had moved away, 300 miles away. I had just lost my gf of two years and fiancee to cancer. This game became a way my daughter and I could spend time interacting with each other and helped give us an opportunity to keep some sort of our closeness. We met people back then that we are still friends with to this day.
The twizard community is new to me and I have been welcomed with open arms by some genuinely nice people. My daughter and I (Christina Summerheart) have even started writing blog posts like this one for Stars of the Spiral! It’s nice to be able to give something back to the game that has meant so much to us over the years.
Something about us (as in you & me)...we have all been in that situation, you’re just minding your own business and out of the blue you catch a conversation and it is argumentative and/or abusive.. One where someone has decided to dish on someone out loud for the rest of us to witness. Or perhaps its a heated exchange between groups. Ok you get my point, we have all had this happen and it’s not just on any one game it’s everywhere on the internet.
Visit any site you that allows comments on posts and you will not need to look far to find people behaving like lunatics. Ranting and raving and cussing and plowing through anyone in their path.
So it’s no surprise that we see that same behavior in Wizard101. I have been playing KI games since 2012. My daughter started playing two years before that so I’ve been around this game almost since the beginning. PVP has probably the most nefarious reputation for badgering, abusive displays of bad behavior. I know, I’ve been active in PVP for years. PVP has such a terrible rep some players really don’t even want to associate with the pvp crowd. I will say that it used to be a LOT worse but then again I’m not queuing up in the arena as much lately so that could be part of the reason. I like to think the downswing is due to people learning to draw lines and use those filters!
You know what makes this kind of stuff really sting? More then some random person going off in the game which you can easily choose to ignore and send them a nice report card as a going away present but t’s when an argument happens with someone you’re really friends with.
I know you can mute people in general public or just move on but when you get into it with people you care about, oh wow that’s another level of misery. Or if you run into a difference of opinions that you just feel aren’t right it’s sometimes hard to find the means to get past being wronged. Especially if that wrong is never righted, right?
Bad hurtful behavior is everywhere around us, we see it at all levels in our society. So of course it’s no surprise that it’s affected us on Wizard101. But one of the things I’ve witnessed and am thankful for is there’s a level of common good in this community. I’ve seen arguments and uprisings about changes in the game and the way this company chooses to operate. I’ve witnessed friends have online fall outs but still work it out and eventually get back to what matters most, that we have a place to hang out with other people, people that may just be going through some rough times and came here to get relief, have fun and maybe meet new friends.
I’ve always stayed away from drama when possible. But I do understand it’s part of life. We can all find hope in the fact that when it comes down to it we all stick together like we did when KI released the crown tier pricing! LOL sorry KI just had to rib you on that one!
I’m thankful for being able to be around you all.
Happy Thanksgiving from a couple Vegetarians!